The present invention relates to an actuator for activating an air current passage switching door in, for example, a vehicle air conditioner.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-166320 describes an example of an actuator including a motor, which serves as a drive source. The motor is arranged in a case so that the axis of the motor extends perpendicular to a vertical direction of the case. Two power supplying terminals are arranged on a first end and an opposite second end of the motor from which an output shaft extends. The two power supplying terminals, which respectively contact the two power receiving terminals, are embedded in a resin mold arranged in the vicinity of the second end. The power supplying terminals are connected to a connector terminal, which is further connected to an outer terminal. This supplies the motor with power from the outer connector. Further, a portion projecting from the resin mold in each power supplying terminal is generally L-shaped and includes a first extension, which extends from the resin mold toward the motor, and a second extension, which extends upward from a bent distal end of the first extension and includes a contact portion that contacts the power receiving terminal. The contact portion elastically contacts the power receiving terminal in an axial direction of the motor. This stabilizes the application of voltage to the power receiving terminal.
In the above actuator, the contact portions of the two power supplying terminals are required to be located at different positions in the vertical direction in accordance with the structures of the power receiving terminals. When the contact portions are located at different positions in the vertical direction, the power supplying terminals may be formed so that the bent portions (lower end of each second extension) are located at the same position in the vertical direction but the lengths differ from the bent portions to the contact portions. Alternatively, as described in the above publication, the power supplying terminals may be formed so that the lengths are the same from the bent portions to the contact portions but the bent portions (lower end of each second extension) are located at different positions in the vertical direction. However, when the lengths differ from the bent portions to the contact portions, the elastic force applied to the motor differs between the two power supplying terminals. This may adversely affect the rigidity of the motor. Further, when the bent portions are located at different positions in the vertical direction, the two power supplying terminals must be formed from different plates. This lowers the yield of the power supplying terminals.